posted on April 08, 2011 17:23
This is my kind of Vegeterian Restaurnat as Alain Passard cut red meat from his menu back in 2001, but the Breton-born chef is no drum-banging vegetarian: the menus at this elegant restaurant, close to the Musée Rodin, still include top-notch game, poultry and seafood and just nothing red. L'Arpège remains veg-centric and is a haven for pescetarians, vegetarians and even – whisper it – vegans. It's also hallowed ground for chefs and Passard's light touch and flawless presentation has made him a true French master.
The dishes that have made Alain Passard the mystery of poetry and the obvious puzzles, always set to music, sonatas, concertos and symphonies around a product. Alain Passard claims to be "a sculptor to the flame" who can marry each product with the fire that suits him. He willingly discusses the vegetable by the look, colour. " A purple, yellow, pearly white, celadon green, orange pearl inspire me. I proceed by keys. The move comes after technique. "
Alain was born on 4 August 1956 at La Guerche-de-Bretagne, France) is a French chef and owner of the three star restaurant L'Arpège in Paris. Alain is the son of musicians, Passard is also passionate about music, playing the saxophone. He recently released his first book, Les Recettes des Drôles de Petites Bêtes, a recipe book written especially for children. He is also a partner in a company that produces mustard using a 16th century recipe and has worked with silversmiths Christofle on a set of flatware made especially for eating vegetables.
Alain Passard began his cooking career in 1971 at the age of 14 working at Hôtellerie du Lion d'Or in Liffré under Michel Kerever. Passard worked at La Chaumière between 1976 to 1977 in Reims under Gaston Boyer. From 1980 to 1984 Passard worked at Le Duc d'Enghien, at the Casino of Enghien, during which time, at the age of 26, he became the youngest two star chef.
In 1984, Passard moved to the Restaurant Carlton, Brussels, Belgium and within two years the restaurant earned two stars from the Michelin Guide. And in 1986, Passard purchased the three star restaurant L'Archestrate from his former mentor Alain Senderens and renamed it L'Arpège. It took only a single year to earn its first star, then one year more to earn its second. In 1996, L'Arpège earned its third star from the Michelin Dining Guide, which it has retained ever since.
In 2001, Passard completely removed red meat from his menu and turned the focus of his efforts to vegetables, stating "I believe I have come far in the areas of poultry and meat based cuisine. Today I aspire to another exploration based in vegetables. I voluntarily erase, without regret, twelve signature dishes of the house with real reassessment. I sense a fabulous adventure in exploring the depths of my passion."
In September 2002, Passard opened his kitchen garden, a 2 hectare parcel of land run by two gardeners approximately 230 kilometers from Paris, on the property of an old Chateau in the French town of Fillé. The vegetables are grown completely organically and even the use of machines is forbidden. The only help the gardeners receive during harvest is the use of a draught horse to help till the soil.
Japanese show Iron Chef
Passard received a measure of international acclaim by participating as a challenger on the popular Japanese show Iron Chef. He first appeared in the 1997 World Cup held in Arashiyama, a district in the Kyoto prefecture of Japan. Passard defeated Patrick Clark in the first round in Battle Homard Lobster to earn the right to battle Iron Chef Japanese Koumei Nakamura, who had defeated Liu Xikun in his first round match, the theme ingredient being beef. In the final, with foie gras being the theme ingredient, giving the French chef a decided advantage over his Japanese counterpart, the two tied, both being honored as World Cup champions. This was before an overtime period had been instituted in the case of a tie.
In the last match held in Kitchen Stadium, in September 1999, the "King of Iron Chefs" tournament was held with all of the current Iron Chefs battling each other for the right to battle Passard in the final. Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai came out victorious in the tournament and was crowned King of Iron Chefs, and battled Passard with the theme ingredient of Long-Gang chicken. Sakai defeated Passard in a split decision. Still, it was a great honor for Passard to be named as the ultimate test for the Iron Chefs, so much so that even in defeat his Ronkonkai Chicken à la Dragee, a dish in which he slowly cooked the chicken for 40 minutes then covered it with minced Dragee (almonds covered with a hard sugar glaze), was named one of the 10 best dishes ever created in Kitchen Stadium.
Contact Details:
Address: 84 Rue de Varenne, Paris 75007, France
Telephone: +33 (0)1 47 05 09 06
Web Site: www.alain-passard.com
Reviews: Laissez Fare
Also The Man Who Loves Vegetables Buzz
L'Arpège Alain Passard Formal Restaurant Advert
Three-Michelin-Star chef Alain Passard from the award-winning restaurant L'Arpege in Paris, pairs up his culinary delights with the wines of Paul Jaboulet Aine. Passard describes his two schools of cuisine as "fire" and "flavour" in an unforgettable evening at the Crown Macau.